The Standard American Diet is Even Sadder Than We Thought

Although we are one of the most prosperous countries on earth, we die sooner and experience higher rates of disease than other developed nations.

We use the phrase “standard American diet” to describe the stereotypical diet of Americans. But what does the standard American diet actually look like? In the video below, Rip Esselstyn breaks it down for us.

Unfortunately, half of the plant-based calories (6%) come from french fries. That means only 6% of America’s calories are coming from health-promoting fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

There’s a good reason we abbreviate standard American diet to S.A.D. The standard American diet leads to standard American diseases that lead to standard American deaths.

What Can We Do?

To turn this ship around, we need to spread the word about the whole-food, plant-based diet, which is the only diet that has been scientifically shown to prevent and reverse chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.